Before he knew it, Yoonjo had stopped crying and was staring blankly at Seonwoo. It was because he wondered what on earth had just happened. Now soft lips were attaching and detaching even on his fingertips. It was also simultaneous that his eyes met with Seonwoo, who had his eyelids half-lowered.
Seonwoo wiped Yoonjo’s cheek with the back of his hand, then said quietly.
“Has all the pain disappeared now?”
It was a gentleness that would make the sorrow from just before disappear in an instant. Yoonjo, who had been sniffling for a while with reddened eyes, tightly gripped Seonwoo’s clothes with both hands. Then like a child, he burrowed into Seonwoo’s embrace and hugged him tightly. He was suddenly scared that he might say no, but fortunately Seonwoo embraced Yoonjo.
He just lightly patted his back and quietly waited for Yoonjo. It was the start of a strangely noisy morning.
Yoonjo, who had been still for a while, suddenly stared at Seonwoo at the strangeness. The soft jawline, plump lips, well-defined nose bridge, and almond-shaped eyes—nothing seemed to have changed. However, decisively, the hair that had been kept a bit long was now short.
Yoonjo, who opened his mouth halfway and stroked the back of Seonwoo’s head, suddenly asked.
“…Hyung. Did Dongtae eat all of hyung’s hair?”
“Doesn’t it look cut to anyone?”
“When did you cut it? It was long a few days ago.”
“Mm… I cut it when it was time to cut it. Why, is it ugly?”
At the mischievous question, Yoonjo shook his head and replied.
“No. You’re totally handsome. You were already handsome, but now you’re even more handsome.”
At the unadorned sincerity, Seonwoo burst into laughter. He lightly flicked Yoonjo’s forehead with a “thunk” and got up from his seat, saying let’s go eat.
Though accompanied by a slight hangover, that morning started not too badly. Yoonjo ate the dried pollack soup Seonwoo handed him while constantly rubbing his swollen eyes. He already had a lot of tears, and at this rate he thought he wouldn’t be able to show an adult appearance.
“How’s the hangover?”
Yoonjo, who had been chewing rice, slightly raised his head at Seonwoo’s kind question, then lowered it again.
“It’s okay…”
Except for feeling a little dizzy and nauseous, it was fine. Because of that, Yoonjo, who had no appetite at all, put down his spoon. He lightly yawned and roughly wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes.
“Maybe because I drank after a long time… I have no appetite.”
Seonwoo’s eyes unknowingly turned toward Yoonjo’s rice bowl. It was after he had completely emptied it so not a single grain of rice was visible. He wondered how having no appetite could connect with this action, but soon put aside the question. Seonwoo, who had been watching Yoonjo’s sullen appearance for a moment, propped his chin and asked quietly.
“Then shall we go out to play so Yoonjo’s appetite returns?”
Yoonjo, who had only been fiddling with the tablecloth, wondered what he had just heard. After blinking for a long while, Yoonjo gulped down cold water at once and nodded his head quickly.
“Yes, yes! Let’s go! Let’s go play! I’m totally free this weekend! Let’s go!”
Yoonjo, who smiled brightly with completely swollen eyes, quickly tidied up the dishes. It didn’t even take 30 minutes from washing up to changing clothes after coming out. At the unusual speed, Seonwoo put a cap on Yoonjo and added.
“You didn’t wash incompletely, did you?”
“What do you take me for? I scrubbed thoroughly all the way down!”
Yoonjo, who shouted huffily, pursed his lips and walked tap-tap-tap to the entrance. Seonwoo also grabbed a hat and mask and followed Yoonjo. The view outside the window he glimpsed was clearer than ever. In weather without a single cloud, Seonwoo held Yoonjo’s hand with a pleasant smile.
***
The place where the car smoothly stopped was in front of an antique yet cozy house. Lush ivy was wrapped around the red wall, making it difficult to guess its age. As Yoonjo, who got out of the car, stuck out his head and looked around this way and that, Seonwoo called.
“Let’s go.”
Seonwoo, who glanced at Yoonjo following with quick steps and chuckled again, pushed open the door as if familiar with it. Inside was utterly messy, unlike the antique exterior. Thread and fabric scraps were strewn here and there, making it hard to call it a home.
Seonwoo, who looked around, knocked the bell at the front desk several times when he didn’t feel any sign of people. Ding-a-ling-a-ling, the clear ringing spread for a moment, then soon subsided. Not long after, rustling noise was heard from inside.
“Huaam… Giseon, didn’t you say you were coming really late…”
The person who appeared opening the curtain was a woman with disheveled hair. The woman who came out yawning long saw that there was another person next to Seonwoo, briefly took off the glasses she was wearing and wiped them with her clothes, then immediately put them back on. Even so, as if something seemed strange, she alternately looked at Seonwoo and Yoonjo for a long while.
“Ki Seonwoo… is with another person? Did you hire a new manager without me knowing? Or are you bringing around a co-star to make a comeback?”
“Neither. Hayoung-ah, you need to be more careful with your words.”
“What are you saying? When has my way of speaking helped? But wait… look at this.”
Hayoung walked with big strides and carefully examined Yoonjo’s surroundings. Perhaps her eyesight was bad, the distortion from her glasses looked quite severe.
His elastic skin was smooth without even a single common blemish. The color like freshly baked bread looked naturally that way rather than artificially tanned. And above all, the round and innocently sparkling black eyes drew attention. They stood out more because the whites were clean.
“He is an adult, right?”
“I’m twenty years old. I’m an adult.”
At Yoonjo’s quick answer, Hayoung giggled and laughed. It wasn’t that funny, but she laughed so much that Yoonjo momentarily had a reasonable doubt about whether there was a problem with his answer. Fortunately, the laughter soon subsided. Hayoung wiped away the tears pooled at the corners of her eyes by sliding them with her palm, then kept smacking Seonwoo’s forearm.
“He’s totally a baby. Wasn’t your type someone four years older without even checking compatibility? When did a twelve-year age gap become your goal?”
“It’s not twelve years, it’s nine years. And don’t hit Seonwoo hyung! His bones will break!”
“What bones will break? If they break from me hitting him, will his back burst from you hitting him?”
“Yes!”
At the confident voice without a moment’s hesitation, Hayoung giggled and laughed again. Caught between them, Seonwoo closed his eyes and sighed. As if a headache was coming, he pressed his forehead firmly with his fingertips and muttered.
“Yoonjo-ya… Please stop…”
The two people who had been bickering for a long while entered a lull. It was because Seonwoo forcibly separated them. Seonwoo, who hid the huffing Yoonjo behind him, said to Hayoung who was still snickering.
“I contacted you in advance. Show me the clothes.”
Seonwoo, who held Yoonjo’s shoulder, immediately sat him on a nearby sofa. Thanks to the soft springs, Yoonjo’s body swayed lightly. Seonwoo lightly tapped Yoonjo’s mouth, then brought his index finger to his own mouth again.
“If you sit here quietly from now on, I’ll give you a prize later.”
“Wow… Hyung, do I look like a preschool child who just started running around?”
“At least from the point that you’re attending university, I think we can exclude preschool.”
At Seonwoo’s nonchalant response, a wrinkled walnut was firmly stuck in Yoonjo’s lower jaw. He seemed quite displeased with that statement. Unfortunately, Seonwoo who would soothe Yoonjo had already turned his body.
“Kwon Hayoung, let’s talk for a moment.”
He gestured to Hayoung, then went to the back. The workshop was more disastrous than the front. It was a place with absolutely no space to step, but Seonwoo stood by the door as if he had no intention of entering from the beginning. He glanced back as if subtly checking on Yoonjo, then immediately brought up his business.
“You saw what I emailed you before, right?”
“Huh? Yeaah… But you didn’t say the kid had that kind of image. You compared him like a rabbit that only eats grass, but he’s not at all.”
“…I spoke with quite objective indicators though. Rabbits aren’t cute creatures. They’re kind of… ferocious.”
“Giseon, how is that objective? It’s packed full of subjective feelings.”
Hayoung, who muttered discontentedly, immediately dug through the pile of fabric and went somewhere, then came out holding two sets of clothes.
“But how did you know the size? You said he’s not even your lover. But for that, you casually say harsh things like entrusting your life.”
Seonwoo, who received the clothes, paused at Hayoung’s question, then answered with a sigh.
“I never said he’s not my lover though.”
“Oh… Then he’s your lover? What about Gaegyeom?”
“Let’s not bring up that person’s story if possible. The baby will cry.”
“Didn’t you see him glaring? Rather than crying, he was totally going to beat me up.”
“Choose your words properly. If it’s Yoonjo, he’ll cry while beating you up.”
Along with the retort, Seonwoo, who checked the clothes, nodded his head. It was because he thought they would suit well even imagining it in his head. What Hayoung prepared were clothes with an explorer motif, and clothes consisting of a set including a shirt, jacket, and bucket hat—two sets like this.
“It’s good even though I requested it urgently. Thanks, Hayoung-ah.”
“What do you take me for? Anyway, that kid outside is veeery slightly different from the image I thought of, but let’s have him try them on first. I think it’ll be fine. He has a body that will carry clothes well. You know? My eye is accurate about such things.”
Hayoung was a designer who owned a personal brand, a so-called successful one. Usually, to wear clothes she personally designed and made, you had to wait at least several months, but not Seonwoo. It was largely thanks to the fact that she had been in charge of Seonwoo’s clothes since his unknown days, so there was nothing particularly awkward between them.
In fact, the fact that there was not a single person like this in the workshop was also Hayoung’s consideration knowing the circumstances. Originally, Hayoung’s workshop was a place busy with numerous people coming and going. Though it was just for a while, if she emptied time like this, Hayoung would also suffer tremendous losses, but she herself acted as if it was nothing.
“And I prepared your clothes too.”
At the words added casually, Seonwoo, who was about to go outside, stopped. Seonwoo’s gaze changed slightly strangely. After stopping his creative activities, he hadn’t worn Hayoung’s clothes. The biggest reason was that there was no occasion to wear them.
“I have no plans to… make a comeback right away.”
“I know. But you never know, tomorrow might be different. In that sense, the clothes are just a gift. Ah, pay for that little one’s and go. I’m charging three times because the deadline was tight.”
She confidently raised three fingers, and with her other hand, she bent her index finger and thumb to make a circle.
